


Over

by alphayamergo



Category: Tomorrow Series - John Marsden
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-16
Updated: 2013-12-16
Packaged: 2018-01-04 20:08:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1085179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphayamergo/pseuds/alphayamergo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gavin's last days of the war.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Over

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Starlingthefool](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starlingthefool/gifts).



> So it wasn't quite what you asked for, sorry. It started as the day in the life (in prison) but morphed. Whoops.

‘ _Shit_ ,’ thinks Gavin.

Rosie would have yelled at him for that. Mum would have too.

Nonetheless, the swear word is an apt description for his current situation. He, Homer, Fi, Kevin and Lee have been captured. Ellie is missing. And now they’re on their merry way to some sort of jail. Fi is pale and white next to him, and Homer rubs her arm comfortingly. Gavin’s got the impression that it’s not so much jail she’s scared of (though she’s probably plenty scared of that, too) but she’s more upset over the reminder of the last time. Gavin’s not totally sure what ‘last time’ was. He resolves to ask Homer if he ever gets the chance.

There probably isn’t ever going to _be_ a chance, but he’s not exactly going to ask while surrounded by enemy soldiers. Gavin might be young and deaf, but he most certainly isn’t stupid.

Rosie would have laughed and said that of course he was stupid. Gavin makes a face at the memory of his sister. Even in his imagination, she was annoying.

When they arrive at their destination, they’re all forced off the truck. Gavin’s certain that the guy who pushes him off is rougher with him than everyone else. He’s also certain that the guy is the same one who was at the interrogation and called him a ‘stupid bastard’, even though the guy had known by that point he was death. Gavin _had_ played his deafness up a bit, pretending he couldn’t lip read, but that was still mean.

Above him soars a sign, stating the name of their prison. ‘Our Lady of Lourdes’. ‘ _It must have been a pre-war thing_ ,’ Gavin thinks. ‘ _A school, maybe._ ’

Fi’s lead in the opposite direction to them and he can see that the others look stricken as she’s taken away. Gavin’s not totally sure what’s happening with her, because the soldier that took her spoke too fast for him to understand. Fi could be getting executed, for all he knows. Been picked out as the ringleader, or something.

No, that’s ridiculous. Fi looks about as likely to be ringleader of a terrorist group as – well – Gavin.

He asks Lee where she’s going.

“Girl’s section,” he says.

Gavin grunts in response. It’s his version of ‘okay’, really.

They’re all herded into the male’s section. It’s dark and dreary in there, and it takes a few moments for Gavin’s eyes to adjust to the light. When it finally does, he can make out men of all ages, some healthy and some not, some fierce and some not.

One face leers out at them when they are shoved inside. Gavin can’t quite see his mouth, and it’s too loud in here for him to make out any given person, but he can see Homer’s reply. “Leave him alone,” snaps Homer, and his face is severe and angry. With Lee and Kevin to back Homer up, fitter and probably stronger than most of the prisoners wasting away in here, the man doesn’t have to think twice before he slinks back into the corner of his makeshift cell.

Kevin attempts to grip his shoulder, but Gavin shrugs it off, annoyed. He doesn’t need _protecting_ , and they should know that by now. Gavin casts Kevin a look that says just that, and Kevin at least has the decency to look sheepish.

The prison is horrible, and realistically, Gavin knows that it’s not as bad as it could have been – but. But any prison is bad, really. And that’s the problem.

They’re the only Australians in there, with the rest of them presumably being deserters from the opposing army. The soldiers are the dregs, but they still sneer at them through the gloom and taunt them about being on the losing side. During the first few days, Lee punches a particularly loud one he has to share a cell with. Lee’s punished brutally, but the asshole he punched stops mocking them.

Gavin has no idea how much time passes in the prison – he could have been in there weeks, or months. But the day comes when a man comes in, guards following him, dressed neatly but looking drawn at the face. He has a clipboard in his hands but his hands are shaking so much that he almost drops it. He’s a nervous wreck, but (and Gavin’s heart leaps to realize it) he’s _Australian_ , and somehow, he’s free.

He coughs politely and says, “Yes, I’m looking for -” he checks the clipboard again – “Homer Yannos, Kevin Holmes, and Lee Takkam. Are they here?” Across the hall, he sees Homer lean against the bars of his cell, hands gripping the bars like they’re a lifeline. Kevin (in the same cell as him) surges to his feet and hurries forwards. Gavin slumps, because whatever’s happening, he’s not part of it.

“So that’s the three of you, then. My name is Simon Chapman. Your friend, Miss Maxwell, she’s waiting just outside with some of my colleagues.”

“What’s going on?” asked Lee, as one of the guards starts unlocking the cells.

“Well, the UN is ordering us to retrieve all Australian prisoners of war from - ” starts Chapman, but Kevin interrupts him eagerly.

“So it’s over, the war’s over?” he asks, hopeful and scared and disbelieving all at once. Gavin gets it: he’s feeling the exact same thing.

“Well, there’s still fighting on both sides and no treaty has been officially signed, and that is to say -”

“For God’s sake, is it over?” shouts Homer, tightening his grip on the prison bars.

Simon Chapman looks at Homer very seriously, and Gavin feels his stomach to a flip. His fists clench. And Chapman says, “Yes.”

He goes to say something else, but the amount of chatter in the prison blocks it all out. Kevin sinks back on the seat next to Gavin, gripping at the chain that it keeps it up.

“I can’t believe it,” he keeps saying.

Their cell is unlocked, and Kevin jumps up, hurrying out to meet Homer and Lee. Homer appears to whooping some sort of victory war chant, but Lee looks over to Gavin and says quite seriously, “We’re not going without Gavin.” Homer immediately stops and nods, and Gavin feels hope drive its harsh claws into his heart.

“I only have clearance for you three,” says Chapman, flustered.

“I thought you were supposed to be getting all Australian prisoners of war out.” Kevin smirks when UN representative becomes more flustered at his words.

“Well, that’s true,” he says, and looks to the guard. The guard shrugs and makes a grunting noise.

“Fine,” he says. “Right, come on then.” Gavin’s on his feet in and instant and runs out to meet Homer, Kevin and Lee.

Outside, they find Fi, who’s crying. She hugs all of them individually, placing a kiss on their cheeks. Fi’s got a very good hug, but Gavin is honor-bound to make a face and say, “Yuck.” Fi laughs.

“It’s over,” she repeats to them. “I can’t believe it’s over.”

Homer sweeps her into another bear hug, picking her up and spinning her around. Fi shrieks, laughing, and clings to Homer all the tighter. “It’s over!” he shouts. “We won!”


End file.
